Megachurch founder won't sing anti-gay note

Yesterday, we noted here that Crystal Cathedral, now headed by founder Robert Schuller's daughter, riled up the choir and congregation by asking the them to sign a statement opposing all sex outside male-female marriages.

Now, The Orange County Register finds Schuller didn't know what senior pastor Sheila Schuller Coleman was doing and didn't approve. Indeed, he says, when he ran the show people didn't even have to be Christian to sing for the church.

He told the paper Wednesday:

... He strongly disapproves of an anti-gay covenant his own church administrators asked choir members to sign, stating that it goes against the principles of tolerance, acceptance and positive thinking on which he built his 50-year-old ministry.

In their coverage, he said,

I have a reputation worldwide of being tolerant of all people and their views. I'm too well-educated to criticize a certain religion or group of people for what they believe in. It's called freedom.

Schuller also, however, says he's not contesting the "Biblical view" the covenant claim. He just says that forcing people to sign covenants doesn't fit with with his positive principles...

We don't test anyone who comes to our ministry. We don't require them to be Christian. We would not demand that they be born-again Christians.

I'm not sure I quite follow that. And several folks commenting on yesterday's post pointed out that it made perfect sense to them that a Christian church standing on the Bible would expect people who are leading worship and song to stand by the Bible as part of their ministry.

Still, others note people have many views of the Bible and read it to say that to do justice, love mercy and walk humbly before God (see Micah) is a path open to all, regardless of their sexuality.

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About Cathy Lynn Grossman

Cathy Lynn Grossman is too fidgety to meditate. But talking about visions and values, faith and ethics lights her up. Join in at Faith & Reason. More about Cathy.